40 Saunders, Birds of Gallatin Co., Mont. [j^ n 



*110. Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis. Western Crow. — Com- 

 mon summer resident, nesting in willow thickets in the valleys. Rich- 

 mond and Knowlton noted a crow roost in the mountains south of Fort 

 Ellis. So far as I know, this roost does not exist at present, perhaps 

 because a large amount of timber has been removed from this vicinity 

 since then. Crows are among the earliest migrants, arriving in late 

 March and leaving in October. A few remain in the vicinity of Bozeman 

 throughout the winter. 



111. Nucifraga Columbiana. Clark's Nutcracker. — Permanent 

 resident in the mountains, occurring most commonly in the alpine forests 

 but not uncommon as low as 6,000 feet in open stands of Douglas fir. Mr. 

 A. M. Pyfer found this species nesting near Salesville in March. 



112. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Common summer resi- 

 dent in the valleys. Richmond and Knowlton found it in but one place 

 in the Gallatin Valley, which shows a recent increase in the species, since 

 it is now found in many places throughout this valley. It arrives about 

 the middle of May and leaves in late August. 



113. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Common summer resident, ar- 

 riving in the second week in May. I have found their eggs more often in 

 the nest of Brewer's Blackbird than any other species. Mr. Thomas 

 found the eggs and young quite commonly in the nest of the Slate-colored 

 Sparrow. 



114. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. Yellow-headed Black- 

 bird. — Common summer resident about Three Forks but, so far as I 

 know, not found in the Gallatin Valley, probably because of the lack of 

 suitable breeding grounds. 



*115. Agelaiusphceniceusfortis. Thick-billed Red-wing. — Sum- 

 mer resident, but not common because of the lack of suitable localities. 

 A small colony nests just south of Bozeman and another in the East 

 Flathead Valley, the latter in willow bushes with a company of Brewer's 

 Blackbirds. This species arrives in April and leaves in October or later. 

 I secured two birds on Dec. 9, 1908, in the East Flathead Valley about on 

 the border line of Park and Gallatin counties. 



116. Sturnella neglecta. Western Meadowlark. — Abundant 

 summer resident in the valleys. This species appears about the middle of 

 March and leaves in November. A few spend the winter in the grain- 

 fields of the Gallatin Valley. 



117. Icterus bullocki. Bullock's Oriole. — Rare summer resi- 

 dent. Mr. Thomas saw one of these birds in Bozeman in August, 1909. 

 There is an adult female, taken in the Gallatin Valley, in the collection 

 at the Agricultural College. It will perhaps be found to be more common 

 along the upper Missouri as I noted several old nests at Lombard in Feb- 

 ruary, 1910. 



118. Euphagus cyanocephalus. Brewer's Blackbird. — Common 

 summer resident in the valleys, nesting in colonies in the willow thickets 

 and wild-rose bushes. They arrive in April and leave in October. A large 

 percentage of their nests contains Cowbird's eggs. 



